Machine for opening and cleaning cotton



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. P. GROOM. MACHINE FOR 01 2mm; AND CLEANING COTTON.

No. 485,272. Patented Nov. 1, 1892.

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(No Model.)

W. P. GROOM. AGHINE FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON.

72. Patented Nov. 1, 1892.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheefi 3.

W. P. GROOM. MACHINE FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON. No. 485,272.Patented Nov. 1, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALLACE P. GROOM, OF BROOKLYN, NEXV YORK.

MACHINE FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,272, dated November1, 1892.

Application filed February 29, 1892- Serial No. 423,185. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALLACE P. GROOM, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State ofNew York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinesfor Opening and Cleaning Cotton, of which the following is a descriptionsufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which the inventionappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to apparatus the chief purpose of which is to openor loosen up and clean cotton fiber preparatory to carding and otherprocesses to which cotton is subjected in the ordinary course ofmanufacture. The operation of opening or loosening up of matted cottonfibers at the cotton-spinning mills is for the double purpose ofseparating from cotton sand, dust, and other extraneous mattercomrningled with it and to bring it into condition for furthermanipulation.

In consequence of the severe compression to which cotton is subjectedfor purpose of shipment the fiber, together with the extraneous matterwith which it is commingled, becomes more or less firmly matted. Inorder to loosen or open up cotton for purposes of manufacture,resort wasformerly had to a process of whipping with willow whips, calledwillowing, and latterly to much harsher treatment in machines calledwillows or boaters, in which the whipping or heating is done byrapidlyrotating metal boaters, which pound or thrash the fiber as itprotrudes from between feed mechanism. The mechanical devices heretoforeemployed, however, fail to fully accomplish the result desired. Not onlyis the loosening up of the cotton incomplete and the elimination of theextraneous substances imperfect, but the treatment of the staple is soharsh and severe as to greatly injure it, the same being lacerated andbroken by the fierce blows of the rapidly-revolving metallic heaters.

Itis the purpose of my invention to attain a much more nearly-perfectelimination from the lint-cotton of all extraneous substancessuch ascottonseed, (whether whole, broken, or immature,) sand, dust, leaf,motes, &c. without injury to the staple. My method of opening orloosening up the fiber 1s aprocess which may, perhaps, be appropriatelydesignated as re-ginning. By this process the lint-cotton is freed fromthe larger part of the extraneous matter with which it is commingled, asaforementioned, the same having passed through the gin with the cottonin a former process called ginning. It is also loosened up much morethoroughly, notwithstanding the treatment itreceives, which treatment iscomparatively gentle, though finally positive.

The main feature of myinvention consists, essentially, in a rotatingwhipper or opener in which the parts coming in actual contact with thefiber are flexible or elastic or in which flexible or elastic openersare used in conjunction with rigid openers, the result being in eithercase that the matted cotton is subdued and loosened up without injury tothe fiber.

An important feature of my invention in this connection consists inmaking the openers of different lengths or degrees of radial projectionand in arranging them in such relation to each other that the fiber aspresented by feed mechanism is treated successively to different degreesof force, strain, orpull in such manner that the cotton is first actedupon by comparatively long elastic resilient brushes or openers, whichproject the full width of the space between the feed mechanism and theperiphery of the rotating whippers, and then to others less elastic andof less degree of radial projection. The result of this is that wherethe cotton is matted the fibers are gradually loosened and separatedwithout breaking, straining, or otherwise injuring them,sinceifthefirstbrush-openersencounter a matted portion of cotton they yieldbefore it, while loosening the fiber slightly, and the succeeding morerigid openers eifectually subdue and open up the matted cotton with-.

out lacerating or breaking the fiber.

An incidental feature of my invention consists in the combination, witha rotating whipper, substantially such as herein designated, of a seriesof levers similar to those used in what is known as the piano-feedarrangement, formed with auxiliary yielding sections or extensions,which, while presenting any overhanging cotton to the rotating whipper,readily adapt themselvesto any excess of passing material.

Finally, my invention consists in the special construction andarrangement of parts herein shown and described, by which my inventionmaybe rendered available in practice.

In the accompanying drawings I illustrate means for practically carryingout myrimprovements, although I do not confine myself to the identicalform and construction of parts shown, since it is obvious that variousmodifications may be made in arrangement and detail without departingfrom the essential features of my invention.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the several parts ofapparatus which may be employed in connection with my improved openingmechanism. Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagram of the feed-roller and a leverwith the adjoining portion of the whipper, illustrating the treatment towhich the cotton fibers are subjected. Fig. 3 represents projections ofwhippers or'ope'ners shownin Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a longitudinal section of aportion of the periphery of the whipper cylinder shown in Fig. 2,illustrating the arrangement of the openers in different lateral planeswith relation to each other. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the inner end ofone of the feed-levers; Fig. 6, a face view of the same; Fig.7, a rearview of one of the auxiliary extensionpieces detached from its lever;Fig.8, a front View of the end of a feed-lever without its auxiliaryextension-piece. Fig. 9 is a transverse section of a preferred form ofwhipper; and Fig. 10 an elevation of the same, the central portion beingbroken away. Fig.11 is an elevation, and Fig. 12 an edge view,of one ofthe segments of which the whipper shown in Figs. 9' and 10 is built up.

An endless apron or latticecreeper A conveys the cotton loosely spreadthereon to afeed-roller a and to a series of levers B,siinilar to thoseheretofore employed in cottonopening apparatus of this class. The leversB are of ordinary construction and arrangement, excepting that each isformed at its inner end with a pivotally-connected extension-piece b.This extension-piece 1) consists of a finger b, the upper surface b ofwhich when the extension-piece b is in its normal position forms anadditional feed-surface to hold up overhanging cotton, for whichheretofore no provision has been made. These devices 1) are held intheir normal positions by counter-weights b or equivalent means, whichwill permit the fingers b to yield and adapt themselves to an excess ofpressure upon their upper surfaces 19 The frame or cylinder of therotating whipper 0 may be constructed or built up in various ways, theessential feature in this respect consisting in providing suitablesupports for the various openers used. Taken as a whole the whipper O ispractically a cylinder having a series of radial openers of prescribedforms. These series of openers are also preferably of difierent degressof radial projection, as illustrated more clearly in Fig. 2. Thedistinguishing feature of my invention in this connection consists inthe use of flexible material in the formation of these radial openers,either alone or in conjunction with openers formed of rigid material.Thus in Fig. 2 the longer openers c are not only flexible, but are alsoelastic and resilient, being formed of bristles, elastic wire, orequivalent material. These are preferably arranged in the form of andlargely perform the function of brushes, combing oropening out thelighter and less matted fibers, while yielding and bending when closelyor firmly matted portions of the cotton are encountered without cutting,tearing, or damaging the fibers. Next in order inFig. 2 is a series ofopeners 0 formed of leather or other slightly-flexible material. Theseopeners e do not project out quite so far radially as the brushes c,the

difference of projection, however, being coinparatively slight inpractice, amounting in some cases to not more than one-eighth of aninch. The shorterlength of the openers c is designed to prevent theirstriking too harshly against matted portions of the cotton as yetunopened by the brush-beater c, the object being to subdue and loosensuch matted portions by a comparatively stiff but yielding blow, whichwill not endanger the integrity of the individual fibers, whileloosening them and opening them for the action of the brushbeaters 0.

Should the matted portions-be so firm as to resist the reducing actionof both the brushopeners c and the flexible openers 0 provision may bemade for positively loosening such portions to a degree sufficient forreduction by the brush-beaters c by means of rigid openers c ofslightly-less-radial projection than the flexible openers c Portions ofthe cotton passing through the feed mechanism of sufficient firmness toresist the impact of the openers at the point of protrusion into thepathof the said openers may hang over the front edges of the feed-levers 13.Such overhanging cotton is sustained and presented to the further actionof the rotating openers by the auxiliary extension-piece fingers b,

-. which, however, yield sufficiently to compensate for variations inquantity of material passing over them, so as to protect the latteragainst injury.

The pivotal connection 19 between the ends of the levers B and theauxiliary extensionpieces I) may be effected in any desired way. Asshown in the drawings, the lower side of the lever'B is formed with alug b, which fits in a recess 19 of the extension-piece b, and the pivotb passes through the said lug b and the sides b of the recess 1).

In Fig. 2 the openers c c c are supposed for the sake of convenience inillustrating their action upon the cotton fibers to be arrangedlongitudinally in series upon the face 0 of a cylinder. The adjoiningprojections O O 0 represent the arrangement of the heaters c c c asrelated to each other transversely of the cylinder, the several seriesbeing placed so as to break joints or intervene with each other intransverse planes. This is also illustrated in Fig. 4, in which theopenerbrush 0 is also shown. The same result may be accomplished inpractice by the construction illustrated in Figs. 9, 1O, 11, and 12, inwhich the whipper C is made up of segments 0 each formed with abrush-opener c and a rigid opener 0 which is in the form of a segment ofrigid inverted truncated V-shaped or saw teeth. These segments 0 areheld in place by longitudinal bars 0, to which are attached the flexibleleather openers 0 The relative degrees of radial projection between theseveral series a c c of openers is substantially the same as thatillustrated in Fig. 2, the only difference being one of form andarrangement, while the action upon the cotton fiber is essentially thesame. This latter arrangement is susceptible of an important variationin arrangement, however, in that each series of rigid teeth may beplaced in a position slightly eccentric to the shaft D, so as to actgradually and gently upon the morefirmly-matted portions of cotton. Thisfea- V ture is illustrated in Figs. 9 and 11.

The segments 0 are successively arranged slightly one in advance of theother along the shaft D, (say onequarter or one-eighth of an inch,) soas to break joints with each other, and practically constitute a spiralof low pitch extending around the shaft D from one head-piece D to theother D The rotating opener O is supported and inclosed by suitableframework E. It is preferably situated in a chamber F, in which apartial vacuum is maintained byan exhaustfan G, currents of air beingadmitted at ff, which float the cotton awayfrom the impurities, whichlatter may be gathered in a settling-compartment, such as indicated atF.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In apparatus for treating cotton for the purpose set forth, thecombination, with suitable feed mechanism, of a rotating whipper formedwith series of elastic resilient brushes of a prescribed degree ofradial projection and with series of flexible openers of a degree ofradial projection less than that of the brushes, substantially in themanner and for the purpose described.

2. In apparatus for treating cotton for the purpose set forth, thecombination, with suitable feed mechanism, of a rotating whipper formedwith a series of elastic resilient brushes of a prescribed degree ofradial projection, with series of flexible openers of a degree of radialprojection less than that of the brushes, and with a series oflrigidopeners of a degree of radial projection less than that of the saidflexible openers, for the purpose and substantially in the mannerdescribed.

3. In apparatus for treating cotton for the purpose set forth, thecombination, with suitable feed mechanism, of a rotating whipper formedwith openers consisting of a series of sawteeth arranged eccentric tothe shaft and a series of flexible resilient openers arranged concentricto the shaft, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

4. In apparatus for treating cotton for the purpose set forth, thecombination, with suitable feed mechanism, of a rotating whipper formedwith a series of segments provided with radial openers, said segmentsbeing arranged so that those adjoining break joints with each other,substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

5. In apparatus for treating cotton for the purpose set forth, thecombination,-with arotating whipper, of a feed-roller and a series offeed-levers formed with auxiliary pieces for presenting cotton to thewhipper, said auxiliaryextension-piecesbeingpivotallyconnected to thefeed-levers and being adapted to yield under pressure and to returnautomatically to their normal positions, substantially in the manner andfor the purpose set forth.

WALLACE P. GROOM. Witnesses: D. W. GARDNER, GEORGE WILLIAM MIATT.

